Investment

The option for trustees to commute small "stranded pension pots" of less than £2000 has been put on hold until the middle of 2009.

GERMANY - The €2.4bn (US$3bn) North Rhine-Westphalia mandatory buffer fund for civil servant pension provision (Versorgungsrücklage) has awarded around €800m to Deutsche Bundesbank this month, MandateWire reports.

The Principles for Responsible Investment is planning to launch a global and non-commercial database on investment research focused on environmental, social and governance issues.

THE Financial Reporting Council has urged trustees to be more vigilant over the actuarial assumptions they use.

INCREASED deficits are set to complicate scheme specific funding liability negotiations, Hewitt Associates warns.

THE Pension Protection Fund has issued important guidance about the information that eligible schemes need to provide to ensure their levies can be calculated correctly.

BMB Group has bought emerging markets private equity firm EMP Global.

TIMING is key for schemes wanting to access long term investment opportunities, Standard Life Investments says.

THE Marathon Club has issued a paper to update its practical guidance for trustees when reviewing the performance of investment managers and advisers.

THE department for work and pensions has postponed the start date for the lower 2.5pc per annum cap on revaluation requirements for deferred benefits.